Cancer registry participation increases

Jennifer Weber, operations manager of the Cancer Society, left, and Amanda Nicholson, the cancer registrar, show off a cancer registry poster.

Participation in the Cayman Islands’ voluntary cancer registry continues to increase, with more than 300 people registered.

A press release from the Health Services Authority attributes the rise to doctors and cancer-related organizations regularly referring patients to the registry.

Dr. Sook Yin, with the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, said in the release, “A cancer registry is critically important to the future of healthcare in the Cayman Islands. As a country, we need to understand cancer trends so that we can do everything possible to mitigate cancer risks.”

Cayman’s registry is part of a global push to increase cancer data collection by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Cayman HospiceCare medical director Dr. Virginia Hobday said in the statement, “The medical profession worldwide is united in their opinion that the healthcare of future generations will be seriously compromised without the data that cancer registries provide.”

More than 100 countries have automatic reporting to cancer registries, including the United States, Canada, England and Australia, according to the World Health Organization. Cayman’s system is not automatic.

The HSA notes that access to the data is restricted and names are not included in the database.

Patients and survivors who want to contribute should contact Amanda Nicholson, the Cancer Registrar, at 244-2560 or [email protected]